Washing-machine



UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEErcE.

H. C.' ALFORD, OF' MINOOKA, ILLINOIS.

WASHING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 31,431, dated February 12, 1861.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, H. C. ALEoRD, of Minooka, in the county of Grundy and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Washing-Machine; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specication, in which- Figure 1 represents a longitudinal, vertical seetion of my invention; the line m :c Fig. 2, indicating the plane of section. Fig. 2, is a plan or top view of the same.

Similar letters of reference in bot-h views indicate corresponding parts.

The object of this invention is to facilitate the washing of clothes in such maw chines, which have a segmental slotted concave working in the interior of a semicylindrical swinging tub.

My improvement consists of a peculiar arrangement of parts, so formed that by imparting an oscillating motion to the tub the concave is caused to oscillate in an opposite direction, leaving at the same time the concave free to bear down upon the clothes with its full weight during the whole operation.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention I will proceed to describe its construction and operation, with reference to the drawing.

The semi-cylindrical tub Ais suspended from the levers B, which are secured to the sides of the tub and which oscillate on pivots a. The pivots have their bearings in the frame C and they extend through notches in the top edges of the tub to the interior of the same and into the ends of the oscillating bar D. This bar is provided in its middle with a socket Z) that forms the guide for the stem E, the lower end of which is firmly secured to the concave F. This concave consists of two segmental side rails b which are connected by slats or rollers c said side rails being of such a height that they bear on the corrugated bottom of the tub without allowing the slats or rollers c to come in contact with the same. The stem E passes up through the socket of the guide bar D and Athrough the socket l of the swivel bar G which has its bearings in the upper ends of two arms H. The lower ends of these arms are connected by means of pivots e to the upper ends of the levers B and they (the arms) pass through mortises 'on the upper cross-bars of the frame C.

Pins f passing through the upper cross bars of the frame and through slots g in the arms H, form the guides for the latter.

A handle I on the end of the t-ub A serves to impart to the same the desired motion.

The operation is as follows: A small quantity of water and soap sud is poured into the tub, and the clothes to be washed are placed under the concave F, which bears down on the same with its full weight, the stem E having perfect liberty to rise and fall in the sockets b and d. By these means the concave adjusts itself to the quantity of clothes placed into the tub. An oscillating motion is now imparted to said tub and by the peculiar arrangement of the levers B and arms H, the concave assumes a motion in a direction opposite to that in which the tub moves, and at the same time said concave, being perfectly free to rise and fall,

adjusts itself to the surface of the clothes. 4

H. C. ALFORD.

. vWitnesses:

HENRY PENDLETON, B. F. SMITH, Jr. 

